Lost

Nobody saw the reapers walking the streets.
Syn and Jimmy blended in silently, invisible to the mortals who would have been scared out of their minds by the fearfully calm looks on the beautiful faces. Both were armed, more to protect the civilians than themselves as Jimmy couldn’t be sure that the army didn’t know how to track them by now. Behind them Johnny and Stefanie followed, equally alert and watchful.
“Where are we likely to find her?”
Johnny consulted his map.
“About a mile down here, the girl lives above a pub.”
Syn grinned at that, he could murder a whiskey right now and wanted to go find out what damage the girls were doing on the other side of the city. The evening crowds were already sparse, the fear in the city meant that only the bravest or the foolhardy stayed on the streets once night fell. The pretty man liked it better this way.
“Johnny….take Stef. Get the girl.”
There was ice in Jimmy’s voice as he halted, the others stopping behind him at the figure they could see in a gap between the buildings. Johnny swallowed, he didn’t want to leave his friends but they needed to find the girl and he didn’t want to watch this confrontation. He grabbed Stefanie’s hand and disappeared down the alley to their right.
“Now what?”
“We talk to him.”
Syn blinked at Jimmy’s words but followed as he walked into the square. It hadn’t changed much in a little over one hundred and ten years and both men remembered the significance of Millers Court. Zacky stood in front of them, leaning up against the wall and seemingly completely unconcerned. He was wearing his usual black, the hood of his jacket pulled up against the light rain. Syn found the ache in his chest was almost worse from seeing him again and he could see the pain in Jimmy’s face.
“Hello Zack.”
Zacky looked up, a smile lighting up his face.
“Jim, Syn…Its good to see you.”
Jimmy remained silent, the gap between the friends almost icy as everything else around them seemed to fade away. All Jimmy could think about was that he hadn’t even said goodbye, that she had been torn away from him so fast that there had been no time to say the million and one things he needed to tell her. His face twisted a little in pain and Zacky’s eyes filled.
“I’m sorry about what I did. The blade worked with Claire to twist things in my head. Is Matt ok?”
“He’s fine now. Why Zacky, why is Claire doing this? If its Gerard then why isn’t she fighting him now that the elemental power is free?”
Syn knew his voice was breaking with emotion and didn’t try to hide it. There was anger there but more than anything he needed his boy back in his arms. Jimmy watched, his mind still hearing his thoughts echoed in Syn’s question. Zacky shuffled, a hand wiping away a tear as he tried to frame his answer.
“It’s not what you think. You remember how all this started? How the universe pulled us into this life because balance was needed?”
Jimmy nodded, his logical mind screaming at him for a reasonable explanation.
“Of course. What does it have to do with this?”
Zacky half smiled and looked around him at the city that he had grown up in and now had changed beyond anything he had ever thought of. He wanted them to understand, he wanted Syn to hold him…
“The universe now decided different. How else do you think that Gerard was resurrected, that Patollo was allowed a little power? Even Lilith gave them a taste of what the planet without humanity might look like.”
Syn reeled, his mind trying to make the connections as Jimmy snapped, grabbing Zacky by the shoulders and shaking him hard.
“Did the universe tell you to kill Raven?”
“I told you. That was the blade and Claire. We didn’t figure it out until she became elemental. Christ, even Gerard thinks he has free will but we have been being used this whole time. The vision said the two worlds would collide, the girls said it could end everything. The only way we have ever stopped it from happening before was by using Raven and the power of the angels. That’s why it went for her first.”
Jimmy let him go, the cold shiver up his back and the complete honesty in his friends green eyes were enough to make him see that what Zacky was saying was brutally logical. He glanced at Syn, the connection had rung true with him too and now both of them stared at the man in front of them.
“So the universe wants everything to end?”
Zacky shrugged, he and Claire were unsure on this part themselves and that was what had prompted them to wait before going after the girl. He imagined that Claire was having a more violent conversation with her sisters although she had planned to let Lilith pull Gerard apart which might have helped the situation.
“I don’t know, we don’t know. Maybe not everything but certainly humanity.”
Syn walked over to the nearest bench and sat down, his face a mask of concentration as he tried to make sense of it all. It would explain why Peg had been cut off from them, outside help so to speak and why they had seen their friends and themselves be manipulated. He went to say something and stopped. Jimmy was hugging Zacky like his life depended on it, both of them fighting back tears.
“I never wanted this. Neither did Claire.”
“Come home.”
Syn wrapped his arms around both of them and looked around them at the city. It suddenly seemed intimidating and he wondered if even they were strong enough to make it through this one. He ruffled Zacky’s hair and passed Jimmy the bottle of whiskey that had mysteriously been in his pocket since they had left the shelter.
“So now what?”
They relaxed onto the bench as Jimmy took a long shot and then looked at both of them.
“We have a choice I suppose.”
Blue and green eyes stared at Syn as the smirk appeared.
“We let it run its course or we throw out lot in with the mortals.”
Zacky took the bottle. He and Claire had been having this conversation and he knew that all four elemental witches would give them a fighting chance. He also knew that Syn and Lilith were not particularly attached to humanity in any way that mattered. Jimmy coughed and looked up at the sky. He could almost feel Raven near and knew what her answer would be but they really needed to talk this through.
“We need to go through this with the others and the mystics.”
Zacky nodded and sat back. He wasn’t looking forward to the meeting with Matt and wondered how many punches Syn would let his friend get in before he pulled him off. There was a violent flash of fire in the distance and the men watched in awe and growing amusement as a tidal wave of water and a miniature hurricane followed it down the skyline. There was a flash and a huge bang as Syn winced.
“I think the girls are still working out their issues.”
“Or they decided that Gerard needed to be chased through London.”
“I almost feel sorry for the bastard. Roasted, drowned and then blow dried…”
Zacky and Jimmy turned to look at Syn and the expression of amused contentment that was working across his face.
“You’re a sick fuck Gates.”
“Its why you love me.”
Zacky shrugged again and the reapers stood. Johnny was nearby and they needed to find him and Stef with the new recruit before they attempted to put themselves into the middle of the chaos on the other side of town.
“Last one alive buys the drink and gives Matt the apology blow job.”
Zacky set off at a sprint, the others following as the sky seemed to close in above them and a new chapter in the war seemed set to begin.

Notes